Bar Chords ... ow!

I have been playing about 6 weeks now, and I have some decent callouses. I practice with a few different chords each day for around 60-120 minutes, and generally I don't have much pain. I started working on bar chords today, and I went about 4 seconds before my fingers hurt horribly. Not just the barring finger, but the others, since I had to push down harder to sort of get enough pressure for the bar finger to rest without moving up a fret (hard to describe, sorry). I'm just wondering, is this like completely starting from scratch with building callouses, in that I have to just play a few minutes at a time for a few weeks until my finger are stronger? I'm worried I'm going to end up with my bar finger red and blistered and full of dead skin and stuff...

barre chords will take some time to get used to and after awhile you won't have to press so hard to form them! It'll just take time. Make sure your thumb is behind the neck and wrist isn't bent (overly). Try to keep your forearm perpendicular to the neck to avoid any stress on your wrist.

Right now, I can't finger any of them without bending my wrist about 30 degrees to the left.

When I finger things like major and minor chords, my fingers hit the strings vertically and my finger itself is straight. When I moved to these, in order to be able to finger them at all, I had to tilt my wrist that far, which is causing me to not play them vertically anymore, which is bad. Is this the same thing as callouses and will go away with time when I build up dexterity?

I remember mine being uncormfortable, but you will get used to it and it'll be no problem soon. I'm no expert, but someone mentioned something about lowering the action, that could help maybe. If it's to high, it could be causing you to have to apply unusual amounts of pressure?In the meantime, just use power chords

Right now, I can't finger any of them without bending my wrist about 30 degrees to the left.

When I finger things like major and minor chords, my fingers hit the strings vertically and my finger itself is straight. When I moved to these, in order to be able to finger them at all, I had to tilt my wrist that far, which is causing me to not play them vertically anymore, which is bad. Is this the same thing as callouses and will go away with time when I build up dexterity?

Actually, I think it is alright to twist your wrist and use the side of your index finger for barre chords. I have seen many people do it that way and that is actually way I do it. as you move to the higher frets, your wrist sort of straightens out and you are doing it normally.

Just keep at it - its a weird position to put your hand in at first. It hurts less as your muscles get used to it, and it also hurts less when you get to the point you don't have to try as hard - you're probably tensing up at the moment trying to contort your hand into the right position.

Syz, I'm at the same point at you, and yes it ****ing hurts. I posted here and someone said to start by just using the index fingers to bar all the strings. So that's what I've been doing. No musicality in it at all. I watch TV, and when the adverts come on I bar the strings and check my guitar's in tune. By the time my programme's back on, my hand hurts like hell. It seems to be the muscles between the thumb and the index that get it. I support my index with my middle finger, but I won't be able to do that when I need to use that for another fret. But I don't want to be limited to open chords, so that's what I'm doing.

Syz, I'm at the same point at you, and yes it ****ing hurts. I posted here and someone said to start by just using the index fingers to bar all the strings. So that's what I've been doing. No musicality in it at all. I watch TV, and when the adverts come on I bar the strings and check my guitar's in tune. By the time my programme's back on, my hand hurts like hell. It seems to be the muscles between the thumb and the index that get it. I support my index with my middle finger, but I won't be able to do that when I need to use that for another fret. But I don't want to be limited to open chords, so that's what I'm doing.

It is actually good to practice these types of things while watching TV. It is mindless, so basically just sit there and practice barring just the bottom two strings with your index finger on each fret. Once you can get that sounding clearly on every fret up to the 12th, add your middle and ring finger to the mix and get the feel for how you have to position your fingers on each fret.

The next night, you will be much better and it will continue to get better from there. Once you get teh technique down, it is second nature, but getting there takes some time.

Barre chords are really hard, I don't think I could do them after just 6 weeks...also, make sure you're just practicing "barre chords" as opposed to trying to learn a song that uses them, Its always a lot harder and more frustrating trying to learn how to do something when you're trying to use the technique at the same time. Also, invariably the first barre chords you'll encounter in songs are B and F, and they're just about the hardest ones as they're so close to the nut, practice the technique at the 7th fret, and when you're consistently fretting them cleanly there mve down a fret.

I have been playing about 6 weeks now, and I have some decent callouses. I practice with a few different chords each day for around 60-120 minutes, and generally I don't have much pain. I started working on bar chords today, and I went about 4 seconds before my fingers hurt horribly. Not just the barring finger, but the others, since I had to push down harder to sort of get enough pressure for the bar finger to rest without moving up a fret (hard to describe, sorry). I'm just wondering, is this like completely starting from scratch with building callouses, in that I have to just play a few minutes at a time for a few weeks until my finger are stronger? I'm worried I'm going to end up with my bar finger red and blistered and full of dead skin and stuff...

You'll be alright, practice makes perfect. Occasionally barres kill my wrists as well and I've been playing for years. BTOs "Takin' care of business" for instance KILLS me!

Wait until you do some Sus 4's! YIKES!

"My best advice to anyone who wants to raise a happy, mentally healthy child is: Keep him or her as far away from a church as you can." - Frank Zappa